Big Data, Artificial Intelligence and the Sustainability of Democracy

Due to the ever more increasing availability of digital data paired with surging computing power, powerful technologies based on Artificial intelligence (AI) have the potential to fundamentally disrupt key functions of democracy. For instance, in the hands of political campaigners, AI can be used to tailor political news to specific target groups or to spread misinformation, e.g., via deepfakes. In the hands of policy-makers, AI can identify emerging issues, design policy options or evaluate the success of implemented policies. In the hands of public administrators, AI is able to make complex decisions about the distribution of public goods or for predictive policing. In the hands of civil-society actors, AI they can serve as powerful tools to detect malfeasance in public administration and hold public officials accountable.

This Special Issue sheds light on the implications of AI in democratic processes on different levels of analysis: macro, meso, micro. We invite papers on, for example, but not exclusively:

• Theoretical papers on the transformation of democratic institutions (e.g., political parties, government, parliament) due to Big Data and AI
• Studies into the role of algorithms in the dissemination and consumption of political news
• Studies into the role of democratic values and principles in light of a changing technological environment
• Empirical studies into the effects of AI in democratic processes on citizens’ perceptions, opinions, emotions and behaviours
• Case studies into the implementation processes of AI in policy-making and/or public administration.
• Governance and regulations of AI in democratic processes
• Comparative studies across different European/non-European countries

Prof. Dr. Frank Marcinkowski
Dr. Christopher Starke
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• big data
• artificial intelligence
• digital politics
• democracy